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Public transport view on Nokia Here Maps

As soon as Here Maps is available for iOS, hopefully in a couple weeks, I'm switching!

There's really hardly any competition anyway. Google Maps on the iPhone is gone. Yes, there's the Web application but it's just not useable. But if you find Google Maps on iOS awesome, please shout it on the comments below.

Of course, there's Apple Maps. But do I really need to add to all the complaints about it already? Ok, one more: last week I was trying to find the schedules for the Muni public transit in San Francisco using Apple Maps and was "redirected" to the AppStore! I forgot that Apple did mention about it in its apologies over the map fiasco, so I was kind of shocked it happened to me. My fault!

Anyway, that brings me back to the Here Maps app for iOS, a mouthful. From what I've seen at the Nokia event yesterday, and even if it's not a native app and doesn't have the navigation features, like turn-by-turn, Here Maps is still going to be far better than Apple or Google Maps on iOS.

It works in offline mode, without data connection, and with better and richer map data. And I forgot to mention, Here Map for iOS has public transport directions!

And the timing couldn't be better: Apple is still "working on it" and Google might think it's just not worth it anymore. Android smartphones are outselling iOS by almost 5 to 1, says IDC, so why bother indeed!

But according to a Nokia engineer yesterday, who didn't want to be quoted in this story, talks between Nokia and Apple have been happening, it's just that is going nowhere! "Apple chose TomTom for their maps because it was such a bargain. It just didn't make business sense for us."

Now, could Apple partner with Nokia over Here (sorry for the punds, but it's just too easy!)? "I doubt. It seems they want to fix it themselves, by hiring a lot of people and buying technologies." Until then, Here I come!